Traction-engine.



J.'v H. VBNNBRS. TRACTION ENGINE.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 31, 1910.

`1,010, 98 8 f Y Pe- Ltented'DeaJQlL 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Gummi u mmm J.H. VENN-BRS.

TRAGTION .ENGINE urmomron FILED AUG. s1, 1910 Patented jDec.: 5, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

/ )Ez/, f 1%? f a short turn,

I cal longitudinal section gine which -by a force proportionate to the AUNITED s rATEs PATENT onirica.

JAMES I-I. VENNERS, 0F BROOKLYN, YORK, ASSIGNOROF ONEHALF TO WILLIAM v MILLSPAUGH, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

TRACTION-ENGINE.

Patented Dec. 5, 1911. serial No. 579,827.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. VnNNpRs, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Brooklyn, in the\county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Traction-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The purpose of the invent-ion is the provision of a mechanism for vreplacing the horse in hauling drays, wagons and kindred vehicles intended for transporting loads from one place to another `in cities, villages or like places where a load is moved by means of a wheeled vehicle.

The invention contemplates a traction en- V may be coupled to awagon or dray for hauling the same from place to place, said engine embodying a tractor which is movable and held at all times in engagement with the surface of the road pull, thereby insuring propulsion of the machine and the vehicle to be drawn thereby.

A further purpose of the inv ention is to combine with the engine steering wheels which under cert-ain conditions may be used as a tractor'to supplement the action of the Lmain tractor or to enable the engine to make which isof advantage in cit-ies or places having ,comparatively narrow streets or roads, so that when the wagon to be unloaded is to one side of the street or roadway the engine may beturned to occupy a position approximately parallel with the' street or I roadway so as not to obstruct traiic.

The invention further contemplates novel means for transmitting power to the tractor and steering wheels and admitting of positive and ready control so that the machine 'maybe advanced, reversed or lcaused to make a short turn according to conditions and requirements.

The invention consists of thelnovelv features, details of construction and combina# tion of parts, which hereinafter will be more particularly set forth, illust-rated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

4Referring to the drawings, forming a part of the application, Figure 1 is a verti* of a traction engine embodying the invention, showing the manner of coupling the same to a Wagon. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine. vFig 3 backed against the curb oris a transverse section on the line 3-3of Fig. 2, the drive wheels being shown in full. Fig. 4 is a detail section on the line w--of Fig. 3, looking to the left as indicated by the arrows. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the steering wheels. Fig. 6 is a detail yiew of a part of the mechanism for transmitting motion to the steering wheels when the latterA ,are used asa tractor.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the, following descrlption, and indicated in all the views of the drawings, by the samereference characters. `The traction engine or machine comprises a main frame 1, which may be of any construction, the same being mounted upon wheels 2, 3 and 4. An engine 5 of any type is mountedV upon the framework and is the source from which power is derived for propelling the machine. The drive shaft 6 is rotated by means of the engine and has bevel gears transverse shaft 9 is provided with a bevel gear 10, which is in mesh with the bevel gear 8. Sprocket wheels l1 are secured to the outer.ends of the shaft 9 and are connected by drive chains 12 with sprocket gears 13 secured to the drive wheels 3. The shaft 9 is provided with the ordinary differential to compensate for variation in the rotation of the drive wheels 3. The transmission mayinclude the usual speed mechanism to admit of the machine moving forward, boing reversed, or brought to a standstill without stopping the engine. The speed control is operated by means of a lever 14, which extends within convenient reach of the operator mounted upon the seat of the wagon A to which the machine is coupled.

The tractor comprises the drive wheels 3, which are mounted to have a limited vertical movement. The axle 15 has a central drop portion andv its end portions pass through vertical slots formed in housings 16 firmly attached to the framework of the machine. Blocks 17 are mounted in the Vhousings 16 to move freely therein and constitute bearings for the axle 15; Each of the bearing blocks 17 has a roller 1 8 at its upper end, whichis engaged by acam 19, the latter being fast to a shaft 20 mounted in 7 and 8 secured thereto. A

the housing 16. The inner ends of the shafts 2() have arms `21 secured thereto and the free .ends .of these arms are connected by rods or bars 22 to a transverse shaft 23, which is adapted to be coupled to the vehicle to be drawn by means of the machine. Arms 2st have adjustable connection wit-h the shaft 23 and are adapted to be coupled to the front axle 25 of the wagon A. By having the arms Q4 adjustably connected with the shaft 23 the distance between them may be regulated to suit the couplings or other draft attachments provided upon the front axle of the vehicle to which the traction engine is to be connected. A pull upon the rods or bars 22 is transmitted toq the arms 2l and thence to the cams 19, which latter operating upon the rollers 18 of the' bearing blocks 17 press the'latter downward and force the drive wheels 3 into engagement with the surface of the road or street with a pressure proportionate to the load, thereby insuring sutlicient tractive force to propel the machine and the loaded wagon or vehicle cou-v pled thereto. This arrangement of parts also linsures positive engagement between the tractor wheels 3 and the surface, so that the driving force is exerted at all times when Y the machine is in operation, whether traveling over a smooth surface or a rough surface.

The steering wheels 2 are mounted upon an axle 2G, which is mounted in a transverse sleeve il? at the lower end of a vertical shaft 28. A vert-ical sleeve 529 secured rigidly to the framework forms a bearing for the shaft 28 and supports a sleeve 30, whichis mounted thereon to move vertically and to rotate. The sleeve 30 has a sprocket wheel 31 and a bevel 32 and is controlled in its vertical movements by means of a. forked arm lrsecured to a shaft 34, which is mounted in a bracket 35 secured to a part of the framework. The-shaft 34 has a second arm 36. which is connected by means of ay rod 37 to an arm 38 secured to a transverse shaft 39. Movement of the shaft 34 brings about ay vertical movement of the sleeve 30, with the result that the bevel gear 32 is thrown into or out of engagement with a bevel Gear 40 secured to one of the steering wheels 2. When the sleeve 30 is elevated and the bevel gear 32 is disengaged from the bevel gear fl-0 the steering Wheels 2 are free to rotate7 but when the bevel gears 32 and 40 are in engagement and the sleeve 30 is positively rot-ated the steering wheel 2 provided with the bevel gear 40 becomes a driver and supplements the action of the main tractor inv propellingr the machine or may be employed solely for making a short turn. In the latter case the drive power is disconnected from the main tractor or drive Wheels 3 so that when the steering wheels are turned to an angle relatively to the length of the machine the latter maybe moved laterally at its front end, thereby 'enabling the machine as a whole -to be turned aside so as not to obstruct trafiic when the wagon A. is backed to the curb or side of thestreet or roadway to be un loaded or to receive a load. .fr bevel gear 4l is secured to the upper end of the shaft 2S and is in mesh with a bevel gear @t2 fastened to a shaft 43, which is coupled to a steering shaft le extending within convenient reach of the operator mountetl upon the seat of the wagon A.

A vertical shaft is mounted upon a convenient portion of the framework and has a sprocket 4G secured thereto. A sprocket chain 47 passes around the sprocket gears 4G and 3l and transmits motion from the shaft to the sleeve 30. ik bevel gear 48 is mounted upon the vertical shaft l5 to move thereon and to turn therewith, said bevel gear being adjustable yupon' the shaft 45 by means of an arm. e9, which is secured to the. transverse shaft 39. When the bevel gear 48 is moved vertically upon the shaft Y by the bevel gears t8 and 7 and 32 and 40 are synchronously engaged or disengaged An arm 50 is secured to. the shaft 34 and a rod or bar'l is connected to the upper end thereof and extends within convenient reach of the operators scat to admit of the steering tractor being thrown into or out of operation as may be required.

The invention provides a machine which may be advantageously used in cities, villages and other thickly populated districts for drawing wagons or other loaded vchicles, thereby suppl'anting the horse and the sauze time providing a machine which may be positively' controlled and which is enabled to make a short turn so not to obstruct traliic or to stoer clear of "n obstruction or other vehicle. ln o that the steering wheels may be easily turneft it is proposed to lift the same from the ground when it is required to turn the same. rthis result is eii'ected by mounting the rear wheel 4 so that it may be adjusted vertically and after the wheel 4 has been elevated. the rear part of the machine may be depressed and the front part correspondingly elevated, thereby lifting `the steering wheels from the ground and when so elevated they may be turned with ease by operating the steering shaft est. The wheel Lt is mounted in a frame 52 which is connected to the lower Ox v llt)

mounted in guides and provided with cog teeth 55', which are in mesh with a pinion 56 Vsecured to a transversel shaft 57 mounted in lsuitable bearings upon the framework, sai'd shaft being provided at one `end with a hand wheel 58 for convenience of operation. The` machine is practically balanced upon the axle 15, so that when the rear wheel 4 is lifted a slight pressure upon therear portion of the. ma-

chine depresses said end and correspondingly elevatcs the front end, thereby lifting the steering wheels 2 in the manner stated. From the foregoing description, taken in 4connection with the accompanying draw ings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described'the principle of.. operation of the inventiontogether with the device which I now considert'bethe embodiment thereof, I desireto have it understood that the device .sl1own-ismerely illustrative, and that such changes may bemade when desiredas. are within .the` scope of the claimsfapj pended hereto.-

Having thus described the inveiiiin what 1. A traction engine'provided with a ver'- -tically movablel tractor, draft appliances for ing the saine in engagement with the sur face over -which the machine is traveling, said pressure exerting means embodying a Variable leverage and draft a pliances for connecting the 'load to the mac lne and having connection with said pressure exerting means Vto automatically operate the saine to holdthe tractoiby a variable force inv engagement with the surface over which the machine is traveling under all conditions.

3. In a traction engine, the combination 'of a tractor. mounted to moVe-vertically,a cam adapted to exert a vertical pressure upon the tractor to hold the same positivel in engagement with the surface over whic the machine is traveling, an arm having yconnection with the cam, and draft appli-- ances connected with said arm and adapted to connect the load tothe machine.-

4. In a traction engine, the combination of a tractor, a bearin -for the .tractor mounted to move vertica 1y, a cam adapted to exert a vertical pressure upon the bear' '652 ing, an arm having connection4 with said cam, and draft appliances connected with y' with theload'to e drawn. h

' 5. 'In a traction machine, the combinationv of two ,drive wheels, vertically movable bearings therefor, cams mounted to exert a vertical pressure upon said fbearings,ar1ns having connection with' said cams', and ldraft said arm and ada tedto couple thev machin@-4 appliances connected with said. arms to move the saine and operate the cams toA de-. press the' drive wheels.

two witnesses.

in presence o JAMES H. VENNERS.

Vi/fitnesses: c

WM. L. MILLSPAUGH,

F. V. Courir.

Intestinon vwhereof I aiiix my signature i 

